U.S. patent number 9,152,790 [Application Number 12/470,213] was granted by the patent office on 2015-10-06 for systems and methods for detecting fraudulent software applications that generate misleading notifications.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Symantec Corporation. The grantee listed for this patent is Adam Glick, Nicholas Graf, Spencer Smith. Invention is credited to Adam Glick, Nicholas Graf, Spencer Smith.
United States Patent |
9,152,790 |
Glick , et al. |
October 6, 2015 |
Systems and methods for detecting fraudulent software applications
that generate misleading notifications
Abstract
A computer-implemented method for detecting fraudulent software
applications that generate misleading notifications is disclosed.
In one example, such a method may comprise: 1) detecting a
notification generated by an application installed on the computing
device, 2) accessing criteria for determining, based at least in
part on characteristics of the notification, whether the
application is trustworthy, 3) determining, by applying the
criteria, that the application is untrustworthy, and then 4)
performing a security operation on the application. Corresponding
systems and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
Inventors: |
Glick; Adam (Culver City,
CA), Graf; Nicholas (Culver City, CA), Smith; Spencer
(El Segundo, CA) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Glick; Adam
Graf; Nicholas
Smith; Spencer |
Culver City
Culver City
El Segundo |
CA
CA
CA |
US
US
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Symantec Corporation (Mountain
View, CA)
|
Family
ID: |
54203825 |
Appl.
No.: |
12/470,213 |
Filed: |
May 21, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F
21/554 (20130101); G06F 21/566 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G06F
21/56 (20130101) |
Field of
Search: |
;726/24 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Other References
"Spyware Quake and SpyQuake2.com Removal Guide," Mar. 2007. cited
by examiner .
Nahorney, Ben; "Misleading Applications: faking left, running
right"; Aug. 31, 2007; Symantec Corporation;
https://forums.symantec.com/t5/Security-Risks/Misleading-Applications-fak-
ing-left-running-right/ba-p/306466. cited by applicant .
"Misleading Applications--What you need to know"; (accessed on May
20, 2009); Symantec Corporation;
http://www.symantec.com/norton/theme.jsp?themeid=mislead. cited by
applicant.
|
Primary Examiner: Georgandellis; Andrew
Attorney, Agent or Firm: ALG Intellectual Property, LLC
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A computer-implemented method for detecting fraudulent software
applications that generate misleading notifications, at least a
portion of the method being performed by a computing device
comprising at least one processor, the method comprising:
monitoring a system tray of an operating system running on the
computing device; detecting a non-browser-generated notification
generated in the system tray; upon detecting the
non-browser-generated notification, identifying an application,
installed on the computing device, that is responsible for
generating the non-browser-generated notification; accessing
criteria for determining, based at least in part on characteristics
of the non-browser-generated notification, whether the application
represents a fraudulent application designed to generate misleading
notifications that misrepresent the security status of computing
devices, wherein the criteria stipulates that applications that
generate non-browser-generated notifications on computing devices
within a predetermined period of time after the applications are
installed on the computing devices represent fraudulent
applications designed to generate misleading notifications that
misrepresent the security status of the computing devices;
determining, by applying the criteria to the non-browser-generated
notification generated by the application, that: the
non-browser-generated notification represents a misleading
notification designed to misrepresent the security status of the
computing device; the application is a fraudulent application;
performing a security operation on the application.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the criteria further comprises
criteria for determining whether the application contains at least
one data pattern that is commonly associated with misleading
applications.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein: identifying the application
comprises: upon detecting the non-browser-generated notification,
identifying a process that is responsible for generating the
non-browser-generated notification; identifying the application by
determining that the application is associated with the responsible
process.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein: the method further comprises
applying, via a trustworthiness-determination module, the criteria
to the application; the trustworthiness-determination module is
configured to apply criteria to applications, installed on the
computing device, that generate visual notifications to users;
applying the criteria to the application comprises applying the
criteria to the application in response to determining that the
application represents an application, installed on the computing
device, that generates visual notifications to users.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the criteria further comprises at
least one of: criteria for determining whether the
non-browser-generated notification contains words or phrases that
are commonly associated with misleading applications; criteria for
determining whether the non-browser-generated notification contains
a hyperlink to an untrustworthy website; criteria for determining
whether the application originated from a potentially untrustworthy
source; criteria for determining whether a digital certificate
associated with the application has been signed by a trusted
certificate authority.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the criteria further comprises
criteria for determining whether the application was installed in a
location on the computing device that is commonly associated with
misleading applications.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the security operation
on the application comprises at least one of: terminating the
application; removing the application from the computing device;
blocking the application from generating network activity;
quarantining the application.
8. A system for detecting fraudulent software applications that
generate misleading notifications, the system comprising a device
storing a plurality of modules, including: a notification-detection
module programmed to: monitor a system tray of an operating system
running on a computing device; detect a non-browser-generated
notification generated in the system tray; upon detecting the
non-browser-generated notification, identify an application,
installed on the computing device, that is responsible for
generating the non-browser-generated notification; a
trustworthiness-determination module programmed to: access criteria
for determining, based at least in part on characteristics of the
non-browser-generated notification, whether the application
represents a fraudulent application designed to generate misleading
notifications that misrepresent the security status of computing
devices, wherein the criteria stipulates that applications that
generate non-browser-generated notifications on computing devices
within a predetermined period of time after the applications are
installed on the computing devices represent fraudulent
applications designed to generate misleading notifications that
misrepresent the security status of the computing devices;
determine, by applying the criteria to the non-browser-generated
notification generated by the application, that: the
non-browser-generated notification represents a misleading
notification designed to misrepresent the security status of the
computing device; the application is a fraudulent application; a
security module programmed to perform a security operation on the
application; at least one processor configured to execute the
notification-detection module, the trustworthiness-determination
module, and the security module.
9. The system of claim 8, wherein the criteria further comprises
criteria for determining whether the application contains at least
one data pattern that is commonly associated with misleading
applications.
10. The system of claim 8, wherein the notification-detection
module is programmed to identify the application by: upon detecting
the non-browser-generated notification, identifying a process that
is responsible for generating the non-browser-generated
notification; identifying the application by determining that the
application is associated with the responsible process.
11. The system of claim 8, wherein the criteria further comprises
criteria for determining whether the application was installed in a
location on the computing device that is commonly associated with
misleading applications.
12. The system of claim 8, wherein the criteria further comprises
at least one of: criteria for determining whether the
non-browser-generated notification contains words or phrases that
are commonly associated with misleading applications; criteria for
determining whether the non-browser-generated notification contains
a hyperlink to an untrustworthy website; criteria for determining
whether the application originated from a potentially untrustworthy
source; criteria for determining whether a digital certificate
associated with the application has been signed by a trusted
certificate authority.
13. The system of claim 8, wherein the
trustworthiness-determination module applies the criteria by
applying the criteria to the application.
14. The system of claim 8, wherein the security module performs the
security operation by at least one of: terminating the application;
removing the application from the computing device; blocking the
application from generating network activity; quarantining the
application.
15. A non-transitory computer-readable-storage medium comprising
one or more computer-readable instructions that, when executed by a
computing device comprising at least one processor, cause the
computing device to: monitor a system tray of an operating system
running on the computing device; detect a non-browser-generated
notification generated in the system tray; upon detecting the
non-browser-generated notification, identify an application,
installed on the computing device, that is responsible for
generating the non-browser-generated notification; access criteria
for determining, based at least in part on characteristics of the
non-browser-generated notification, whether the application
represents a fraudulent application designed to generate misleading
notifications that misrepresent the security status of computing
devices, wherein the criteria stipulates that applications that
generate non-browser-generated notifications on computing devices
within a predetermined period of time after the applications are
installed on the computing devices represent fraudulent
applications designed to generate misleading notifications that
misrepresent the security status of the computing devices;
determine, by applying the criteria to the non-browser-generated
notification generated by the application, that: the
non-browser-generated notification represents a misleading
notification designed to misrepresent the security status of the
computing device; the application is a fraudulent application;
perform a security operation on the application.
16. The computer-readable-storage medium of claim 15, wherein the
criteria further comprises criteria for determining whether the
application contains at least one data pattern that is commonly
associated with misleading applications.
17. The computer-readable-storage medium of claim 16, wherein the
one or more computer-readable instructions further cause the
computing device to identify the application by: upon detecting the
non-browser-generated notification, identifying a process that is
responsible for generating the non-browser-generated notification;
identifying the application by determining that the application is
associated with the responsible process.
18. The computer-readable-storage medium of claim 15, wherein the
criteria further comprises at least one of: criteria for
determining whether the non-browser-generated notification contains
words or phrases that are commonly associated with misleading
applications; criteria for determining whether the
non-browser-generated notification contains a hyperlink to an
untrustworthy website; criteria for determining whether the
application originated from a potentially untrustworthy source;
criteria for determining whether a digital certificate associated
with the application has been signed by a trusted certificate
authority.
19. The computer-readable-storage medium of claim 15, wherein the
criteria further comprises criteria for determining whether the
application was installed in a location on the computing device
that is commonly associated with misleading applications.
20. The computer-readable-storage medium of claim 15, wherein the
security operation comprises at least one of: terminating the
application; removing the application from the computing device;
blocking the application from generating network activity;
quarantining the application.
Description
BACKGROUND
Malicious computer programs ("malware") continue to evolve at an
alarming pace. One particularly nefarious form of malware that has
experienced tremendous growth is commonly known as a misleading or
rogue software application. Misleading applications typically
intentionally misrepresent the security status of a user's computer
in an attempt to deceive or mislead the user into paying for the
fake or simulated removal of malware, security risks, and/or
unwanted programs and files.
For example, a misleading application may be installed via a
browser exploit or through a social-engineering ruse (such as a
fake codec) that tricks a user into installing the application.
Once installed, the misleading application may constantly generate
taskbar or desktop messages and notifications that suggest that
various unwanted computer programs and files (such as viruses or
pornographic images) are present on the user's computer. The
misleading application may then offer to remove the unwanted items
from the user's computer for a fee.
Unfortunately, because these misleading applications do not perform
any actual security services, users that pay the fees requested by
misleading applications simply pay for nonexistent services. Worse
still, the authors of misleading applications may use such a
transaction to procure credit and personal information that may be
used to commit credit or identity fraud. Misleading applications
may also consume system resources, disable system or
security-software updates, and/or expose users to additional
security threats by lulling users into a false sense of security or
by installing additional malware.
Unfortunately, the constant and rapid evolution of malware has made
it extremely difficult for security-software programs that employ
traditional signature-based technologies to prevent such threats.
As such, the instant disclosure identifies a need for systems and
methods for reliably and accurately detecting fraudulent
applications that generate misleading messages.
SUMMARY
As will be described in greater detail below, the instant
disclosure generally relates to systems and methods for detecting
fraudulent software applications that generate misleading
notifications. In one example, a method for performing such a task
may comprise: 1) detecting a notification (such as a notification
generated in the taskbar notification area of an operating system)
generated by an application installed on a computing device, 2)
retrieving or accessing criteria for determining, based on
characteristics of the notification and/or the application that
generated the notification, whether the application is a fraudulent
or misleading application, 3) determining, by applying the
criteria, that the application is a fraudulent or misleading
application, and then 4) performing a security operation on the
application.
Examples of criteria that may be used to determine whether an
application represents a fraudulent or misleading application
include, without limitation: 1) whether a notification generated by
the application contains words or phrases (such as "virus,"
"warning," and "infected") that are commonly contained in messages
generated by fraudulent or misleading applications, 2) whether a
notification generated by the application contains a hyperlink to
known-untrustworthy websites (e.g., websites that host malicious
files or sell pirated or fraudulent software), 3) whether the
application generated a notification within a short period of time
(e.g., 30 seconds) after the application was installed, 4) whether
the application originated from or was created by a potentially
untrustworthy source (such as a web browser), 5) whether the
application was installed in a location (such as the system
directory or a browser directory) that is commonly used by or
associated with fraudulent or misleading applications, 6) whether
the application or a file associated with the application (e.g.,
the primary executable file associated with the application)
contains at least one data pattern or string that is commonly used
by or associated with fraudulent or misleading applications, and 7)
whether a digital certificate associated with the application has
been signed by a trusted certificate authority (such as MICROSOFT).
In some examples, two or more criteria may be combined to form a
rule or heuristic.
Features from any of the above-mentioned embodiments may be used in
combination with one another in accordance with the general
principles described herein. These and other embodiments, features,
and advantages will be more fully understood upon reading the
following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings and claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The accompanying drawings illustrate a number of exemplary
embodiments and are a part of the specification. Together with the
following description, these drawings demonstrate and explain
various principles of the instant disclosure.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary system for detecting
fraudulent software applications that generate misleading
notifications according to at least one embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary system for detecting
fraudulent software applications that generate misleading
notifications according to an additional embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of an exemplary method for detecting
fraudulent software applications that generate misleading
notifications.
FIG. 4 is an illustration of an exemplary misleading notification
generated by a fraudulent application.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an exemplary computing system capable
of implementing one or more of the embodiments described and/or
illustrated herein.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an exemplary computing network capable
of implementing one or more of the embodiments described and/or
illustrated herein.
Throughout the drawings, identical reference characters and
descriptions indicate similar, but not necessarily identical,
elements. While the exemplary embodiments described herein are
susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms,
specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the
drawings and will be described in detail herein. However, the
exemplary embodiments described herein are not intended to be
limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, the instant
disclosure covers all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives
falling within the scope of the appended claims.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
As will be described in greater detail below, the instant
disclosure generally relates to systems and methods for detecting
software applications that generate misleading messages and
notifications in an attempt to defraud computer users. As used
herein, the phrases "misleading applications," "fraudulent
applications," and "rogue applications" generally refer to software
applications or programs that attempt to deceive, mislead, or
defraud users into paying for the fake or simulated removal of
malware, security risks, and/or unwanted programs and files.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary system 100 for detecting
fraudulent software applications that generate misleading
notifications As illustrated in this figure, exemplary system 100
may comprise one or more modules for performing one or more tasks.
For example, and as will be explained in greater detail below,
exemplary system 100 may comprise a notification-detection module
104 programmed to detect notifications (such as messages generated
in the notification area of an operating system's taskbar,
sometimes referred to as the "system tray") generated by
applications installed on a computing device. Exemplary system 100
may also comprise a trustworthiness-determination module 106
programmed to determine, by applying various criteria to the
notification and/or the application that generated the
notification, whether the application that generated the
notification represents a misleading or fraudulent application.
In addition, and as will be described in greater detail below,
exemplary system 100 may comprise a security module 108 programmed
to perform security operations on misleading or fraudulent
applications. Although illustrated as separate elements, one or
more of modules 102 in FIG. 1 may represent portions of a single
module or application.
In certain embodiments, one or more of modules 102 in FIG. 1 may
represent one or more software applications or programs that, when
executed by a computing device, may cause the computing device to
perform one or more tasks. For example, as will be described in
greater detail below, one or more of modules 102 may represent
software modules stored and configured to run on one or more
computing devices, such computing device 202 in FIG. 2, computing
system 510 in FIG. 5, and/or portions of exemplary network
architecture 600 in FIG. 6. One or more of modules 102 in FIG. 1
may also represent all or portions of one or more special-purpose
computers configured to perform one or more tasks.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, exemplary system 100 may also comprise a
database 120. Database 120 may represent portions of a single
database or computing device or a plurality of databases or
computing devices. In one embodiment, criteria 122 for determining
whether an application is a misleading or fraudulent application
may be stored in database 120.
Database 120 in FIG. 1 may represent a portion of one or more
computing devices. For example, database 120 may represent a
portion of computing device 202 in FIG. 2, computing system 510 in
FIG. 5, and/or portions of exemplary network architecture 600 in
FIG. 6. Alternatively, database 120 in FIG. 1 may represent one or
more physically separate devices capable of being accessed by a
computing device, such as computing device 202 in FIG. 2, computing
system 510 in FIG. 5, and/or portions of exemplary network
architecture 600 in FIG. 6.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary computing device 202 that
may be programmed to detect fraudulent software applications that
generate misleading notifications. As illustrated in this figure,
one or more applications 204 may be installed on computing device
202. Visual elements generated by such applications 204 may be
displayed via a user interface 206. As explained above, modules 102
from FIG. 1 may be stored and configured to run on computing device
202. Computing device 202 may also comprise database 120 from FIG.
1.
As will be explained in greater detail below, computing device 202
may be programmed to detect fraudulent software applications that
generate misleading notifications. For example, modules 102 in FIG.
1 may, when executed by a processor of computing device 202, cause
computing device 202 to: 1) detect a notification (such as a
taskbar-notification-area message) generated by an application
(such as application 205) installed on computing device 202, 2)
access or retrieve criteria 122 from database 120 for determining,
based on characteristics of the notification and/or the application
that generated the notification, whether the application represents
a misleading or fraudulent application, 3) determine, by applying
the criteria, that the application 205 represents a fraudulent or
misleading application, and then 4) perform a security operation on
the application (by, for example, removing or quarantining the
application).
Computing device 202 generally represents any type or form of
computing device capable of reading computer-executable
instructions. Examples of computing device 202 include, without
limitation, laptops, desktops, servers, cellular phones, personal
digital assistants (PDAs), multimedia players, embedded systems,
combinations of one or more of the same, exemplary computing system
510 in FIG. 5, or any other suitable computing device.
FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of an exemplary computer-implemented
method 300 for detecting fraudulent software applications that
generate misleading notifications. As illustrated in this figure,
at step 302 the system may detect a notification generated by an
application installed on a computing device. For example,
notification-detection module 104 in FIG. 1 (which may, as detailed
above, be stored and configured to run on computing device 202 in
FIG. 2) may detect a notification (such as notification 402 in FIG.
4) generated in the notification area 404 of user interface 206 by
application 205.
Notification-detection module 104 in FIG. 1 may be programmed to
detect a variety of forms of notifications. Examples of
notifications that notification-detection module 104 may be
programmed to detect include, without limitation, notifications
displayed in the taskbar notification area (sometimes referred to
as the "system tray") of an operating system (e.g., WINDOWS),
HTML-based notifications displayed on the desktop of an operating
system (e.g., the active desktop in MICROSOFT WINDOWS), pop-up
notifications (including non-browser-generated pop-up
notifications), or any other type of notification that may be
generated by fraudulent or misleading applications.
Notification-detection module 104 in FIG. 1 may detect
notifications in a variety of ways. In one example,
notification-detection module 104 may monitor and detect
notifications generated within areas of an operating system that
are commonly used by fraudulent or misleading applications (such as
the taskbar notification area and/or active desktop of an operating
system). Upon detecting a notification generated in one of these
areas, notification-detection module 104 may then identify an
application that is responsible for generating the detected
notification. For example, notification-detection module 104 in
FIG. 1 may identify a process that is responsible for generating
the detected notification 402 in FIG. 4 and then identify an
application (such as application 205 in FIG. 2) that is associated
with this identified process.
Returning to FIG. 3, at step 304 the system may access criteria for
determining, based at least in part on characteristics of the
notification detected in step 302, whether the application
responsible for generating the detected notification is
trustworthy. For example, trustworthiness-determination module 106
in FIG. 1 (which may, as detailed above, be stored and configured
to run on computing device 202 in FIG. 2), may access criteria 122
(e.g., from database 120 in FIG. 1) for determining whether
application 205 in FIG. 2 (which generated notification 402 in FIG.
4) represents a misleading or fraudulent application.
A variety of different criteria may be used to determine whether an
application that generated a detected notification is trustworthy
(i.e., whether the application represents a fraudulent, misleading,
or rouge application). Examples of criteria that may be used to
determine whether an application is trustworthy include, without
limitation: 1) whether a notification generated by the application
contains words or phrases (such as "virus," "warning," and
"infected") that are commonly contained in messages generated by
fraudulent or misleading applications, 2) whether a notification
generated by the application contains a hyperlink to
known-untrustworthy websites (e.g., websites that host malicious
files or sell pirated or fraudulent software), 3) whether the
application generated a notification within a short period of time
(e.g., 30 seconds) after the application was installed, 4) whether
the application originated from or was created by a potentially
untrustworthy source (such as a web browser), 5) whether the
application was installed in a location (such as the system
directory or a browser directory) that is commonly used by or
associated with fraudulent or misleading applications, 6) whether
the application or a file associated with the application (e.g.,
the primary executable file associated with the application)
contains at least one data pattern or string that is commonly used
by or associated with fraudulent or misleading applications, 7)
whether a digital certificate associated with the application has
been signed by a trusted certificate authority (such as MICROSOFT),
or any other criteria that may be used to determine whether an
application represents a fraudulent or misleading application.
In some examples, two or more criteria may be combined to form a
rule or heuristic. For example, a rule may stipulate that any
message displayed within the taskbar notification area message
that: 1) contains the words "infected" or "virus" and 2) is
generated by an application that has not been digitally signed by a
trusted certificate authority (such as MICROSOFT) may be convicted
as a fraudulent or misleading application. In addition, a rule may
stipulate that an application that: 1) was installed via a web
browser and 2) generates taskbar-notification-area messages that
contain the words "infected" or "virus" within a short period of
time (e.g., 30 seconds) after the application has been installed
may be convicted as a fraudulent or misleading application.
Similarly, a rule may stipulate that an application that: 1)
generates taskbar-notification-area messages and 2) contains a data
pattern or string commonly associated with fraudulent or misleading
applications may be convicted as a fraudulent or misleading
application, thereby allowing system 100 to combine existing
signature-based anti-virus technologies with behavior-based
heuristics to improve the efficacy and accuracy (e.g., by reducing
false positives) of both technologies.
In one example, the system may assign various weight values to one
or more criteria. For example, the system may assign a low-weight
value (e.g., 2, on a scale of 1 to 10) to criteria used to
determine whether an application generates notifications within a
short period of time (e.g., 30 seconds) after the application was
installed. Alternatively, the system may assign a high-weight value
(e.g., 8, on a scale of 1 to 10) to criteria used to determine
whether a notification generated by an application contains words
(such as "virus" and "infected") that are commonly contained in
messages generated by fraudulent or misleading applications. In
this example, the system may, by comparing the various
characteristics of the notifications and/or the programs that are
responsible for generating these notifications with their
respective weight values, determine whether an application is
likely a fraudulent or misleading application.
Returning to FIG. 3, at step 306 the system may determine, by
applying the criteria retrieved or accessed in step 304, that the
application is untrustworthy. For example,
trustworthiness-determination module 106 in FIG. 1 may, by applying
the criteria 122 retrieved from database 120 in FIG. 1, that
application 205 in FIG. 2 (which, in this example, is responsible
for generating notification 402 in FIG. 4) represents a fraudulent
or misleading application.
Trustworthiness-determination module 106 in FIG. 1 may apply the
criteria 122 retrieved or accessed from database 120 to the
detected notification, the application that generated the
notification, or both. For example, trustworthiness-determination
module 106 may determine that application 205 in FIG. 2 represents
a fraudulent or misleading applications since: 1) notification 402
contains the words "warning," "infected," and "virus," 2)
application 205 has not been signed by a trusted certificate
authority, and 3) notification 402 contains a hyperlink to a
website known to offer fraudulent or pirated software.
Returning to FIG. 3, at step 308 the system may perform a security
operation on the fraudulent or misleading application. For example,
security module 108 in FIG. 1 may perform a security operation on
application 205 in FIG. 2. The phrase "security operation," as used
herein, generally refers to any security operation that may be
performed on an undesirable application or file. Examples of
security operations include, without limitation, terminating the
application, removing the application from the computing device,
blocking the application from generating network activity,
quarantining the application, or any other security operation that
may be performed on undesirable applications or files. In one
example, security module 108 may transform at least one property or
characteristic of computing device 202 in FIG. 2 by performing this
security operation (e.g., by removing the misleading application
from memory or storage of computing device 202). Upon completion of
step 308, exemplary method 300 in FIG. 3 may terminate.
By detecting and applying criteria to applications that generate
visual notifications to users, the systems and methods disclosed
herein may enable security software to quickly and accurately
detect and remove fraudulent or misleading applications from users'
computing devices. In addition, by combining one or more
signature-based and behavioral-based criteria, the systems and
methods disclosed herein may improve the efficacy and accuracy of
existing security-software solutions.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an exemplary computing system 510
capable of implementing one or more of the embodiments described
and/or illustrated herein. Computing system 510 broadly represents
any single or multi-processor computing device or system capable of
executing computer-readable instructions. Examples of computing
system 510 include, without limitation, workstations, laptops,
client-side terminals, servers, distributed computing systems,
handheld devices, or any other computing system or device. In its
most basic configuration, computing system 510 may comprise at
least one processor 514 and a system memory 516.
Processor 514 generally represents any type or form of processing
unit capable of processing data or interpreting and executing
instructions. In certain embodiments, processor 514 may receive
instructions from a software application or module. These
instructions may cause processor 514 to perform the functions of
one or more of the exemplary embodiments described and/or
illustrated herein. For example, processor 514 may perform and/or
be a means for performing, either alone or in combination with
other elements, one or more of the detecting, accessing,
determining, performing, monitoring, applying, terminating,
removing, quarantining, and blocking steps described herein.
Processor 514 may also perform and/or be a means for performing any
other steps, methods, or processes described and/or illustrated
herein.
System memory 516 generally represents any type or form of volatile
or non-volatile storage device or medium capable of storing data
and/or other computer-readable instructions. Examples of system
memory 516 include, without limitation, random access memory (RAM),
read only memory (ROM), flash memory, or any other suitable memory
device. Although not required, in certain embodiments computing
system 510 may comprise both a volatile memory unit (such as, for
example, system memory 516) and a non-volatile storage device (such
as, for example, primary storage device 532, as described in detail
below). In one example, and as detailed above, modules 102 in FIG.
1 may be loaded into system memory 516.
In certain embodiments, exemplary computing system 510 may also
comprise one or more components or elements in addition to
processor 514 and system memory 516. For example, as illustrated in
FIG. 5, computing system 510 may comprise a memory controller 518,
an Input/Output (I/O) controller 520, and a communication interface
522, each of which may be interconnected via a communication
infrastructure 512. Communication infrastructure 512 generally
represents any type or form of infrastructure capable of
facilitating communication between one or more components of a
computing device. Examples of communication infrastructure 512
include, without limitation, a communication bus (such as an ISA,
PCI, PCIe, or similar bus) and a network.
Memory controller 518 generally represents any type or form of
device capable of handling memory or data or controlling
communication between one or more components of computing system
510. For example, in certain embodiments memory controller 518 may
control communication between processor 514, system memory 516, and
I/O controller 520 via communication infrastructure 512. In certain
embodiments, memory controller may perform and/or be a means for
performing, either alone or in combination with other elements, one
or more of the steps or features described and/or illustrated
herein, such as detecting, accessing, determining, performing,
monitoring, applying, terminating, removing, quarantining, and
blocking.
I/O controller 520 generally represents any type or form of module
capable of coordinating and/or controlling the input and output
functions of a computing device. For example, in certain
embodiments I/O controller 520 may control or facilitate transfer
of data between one or more elements of computing system 510, such
as processor 514, system memory 516, communication interface 522,
display adapter 526, input interface 530, and storage interface
534. I/O controller 520 may be used, for example, to perform and/or
be a means for performing, either alone or in combination with
other elements, one or more of the detecting, accessing,
determining, performing, monitoring, applying, terminating,
removing, quarantining, and blocking steps described herein. I/O
controller 520 may also be used to perform and/or be a means for
performing other steps and features set forth in the instant
disclosure.
Communication interface 522 broadly represents any type or form of
communication device or adapter capable of facilitating
communication between exemplary computing system 510 and one or
more additional devices. For example, in certain embodiments
communication interface 522 may facilitate communication between
computing system 510 and a private or public network comprising
additional computing systems. Examples of communication interface
522 include, without limitation, a wired network interface (such as
a network interface card), a wireless network interface (such as a
wireless network interface card), a modem, and any other suitable
interface. In at least one embodiment, communication interface 522
may provide a direct connection to a remote server via a direct
link to a network, such as the Internet. Communication interface
522 may also indirectly provide such a connection through, for
example, a local area network (such as an Ethernet network), a
personal area network, a telephone or cable network, a cellular
telephone connection, a satellite data connection, or any other
suitable connection.
In certain embodiments, communication interface 522 may also
represent a host adapter configured to facilitate communication
between computing system 510 and one or more additional network or
storage devices via an external bus or communications channel.
Examples of host adapters include, without limitation, SCSI host
adapters, USB host adapters, IEEE 594 host adapters, SATA and eSATA
host adapters, ATA and PATA host adapters, Fibre Channel interface
adapters, Ethernet adapters, or the like. Communication interface
522 may also allow computing system 510 to engage in distributed or
remote computing. For example, communication interface 522 may
receive instructions from a remote device or send instructions to a
remote device for execution. In certain embodiments, communication
interface 522 may perform and/or be a means for performing, either
alone or in combination with other elements, one or more of the
detecting, accessing, determining, performing, monitoring,
applying, terminating, removing, quarantining, and blocking steps
disclosed herein. Communication interface 522 may also be used to
perform and/or be a means for performing other steps and features
set forth in the instant disclosure.
As illustrated in FIG. 5, computing system 510 may also comprise at
least one display device 524 coupled to communication
infrastructure 512 via a display adapter 526. Display device 524
generally represents any type or form of device capable of visually
displaying information forwarded by display adapter 526. Similarly,
display adapter 526 generally represents any type or form of device
configured to forward graphics, text, and other data from
communication infrastructure 512 (or from a frame buffer, as known
in the art) for display on display device 524.
As illustrated in FIG. 5, exemplary computing system 510 may also
comprise at least one input device 528 coupled to communication
infrastructure 512 via an input interface 530. Input device 528
generally represents any type or form of input device capable of
providing input, either computer or human generated, to exemplary
computing system 510. Examples of input device 528 include, without
limitation, a keyboard, a pointing device, a speech recognition
device, or any other input device. In at least one embodiment,
input device 528 may perform and/or be a means for performing,
either alone or in combination with other elements, one or more of
the detecting, accessing, determining, performing, monitoring,
applying, terminating, removing, quarantining, and blocking steps
disclosed herein. Input device 528 may also be used to perform
and/or be a means for performing other steps and features set forth
in the instant disclosure.
As illustrated in FIG. 5, exemplary computing system 510 may also
comprise a primary storage device 532 and a backup storage device
533 coupled to communication infrastructure 512 via a storage
interface 534. Storage devices 532 and 533 generally represent any
type or form of storage device or medium capable of storing data
and/or other computer-readable instructions. For example, storage
devices 532 and 533 may be a magnetic disk drive (e.g., a so-called
hard drive), a floppy disk drive, a magnetic tape drive, an optical
disk drive, a flash drive, or the like. Storage interface 534
generally represents any type or form of interface or device for
transferring data between storage devices 532 and 533 and other
components of computing system 510. In one example, and as detailed
above, database 120 may be stored in primary storage device
532.
In certain embodiments, storage devices 532 and 533 may be
configured to read from and/or write to a removable storage unit
configured to store computer software, data, or other
computer-readable information. Examples of suitable removable
storage units include, without limitation, a floppy disk, a
magnetic tape, an optical disk, a flash memory device, or the like.
Storage devices 532 and 533 may also comprise other similar
structures or devices for allowing computer software, data, or
other computer-readable instructions to be loaded into computing
system 510. For example, storage devices 532 and 533 may be
configured to read and write software, data, or other
computer-readable information. Storage devices 532 and 533 may also
be a part of computing system 510 or may be a separate device
accessed through other interface systems.
In certain embodiments, storage devices 532 and 533 may be used,
for example, to perform and/or be a means for performing, either
alone or in combination with other elements, one or more of the
detecting, accessing, determining, performing, monitoring,
applying, terminating, removing, quarantining, and blocking steps
disclosed herein. Storage devices 532 and 533 may also be used to
perform and/or be a means for performing other steps and features
set forth in the instant disclosure.
Many other devices or subsystems may be connected to computing
system 510. Conversely, all of the components and devices
illustrated in FIG. 5 need not be present to practice the
embodiments described and/or illustrated herein. The devices and
subsystems referenced above may also be interconnected in different
ways from that shown in FIG. 5. Computing system 510 may also
employ any number of software, firmware, and/or hardware
configurations. For example, one or more of the exemplary
embodiments disclosed herein may be encoded as a computer program
(also referred to as computer software, software applications,
computer-readable instructions, or computer control logic) on a
computer-readable medium. The phrase "computer-readable medium"
generally refers to any form of device, carrier, or medium capable
of storing or carrying computer-readable instructions. Examples of
computer-readable media include, without limitation,
transmission-type media, such as carrier waves, and physical media,
such as magnetic-storage media (e.g., hard disk drives and floppy
disks), optical-storage media (e.g., CD- or DVD-ROMs),
electronic-storage media (e.g., solid-state drives and flash
media), and other distribution systems.
The computer-readable medium containing the computer program may be
loaded into computing system 510. All or a portion of the computer
program stored on the computer-readable medium may then be stored
in system memory 516 and/or various portions of storage devices 532
and 533. When executed by processor 514, a computer program loaded
into computing system 510 may cause processor 514 to perform and/or
be a means for performing the functions of one or more of the
exemplary embodiments described and/or illustrated herein.
Additionally or alternatively, one or more of the exemplary
embodiments described and/or illustrated herein may be implemented
in firmware and/or hardware. For example, computing system 510 may
be configured as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)
adapted to implement one or more of the exemplary embodiments
disclosed herein.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an exemplary network architecture 600
in which client systems 610, 620, and 630 and servers 640 and 645
may be coupled to a network 650. Client systems 610, 620, and 630
generally represent any type or form of computing device or system,
such as exemplary computing system 510 in FIG. 5. In one example,
client system 610 may comprise system 100 from FIG. 1.
Similarly, servers 640 and 645 generally represent computing
devices or systems, such as application servers or database
servers, configured to provide various database services and/or run
certain software applications. Network 650 generally represents any
telecommunication or computer network including, for example, an
intranet, a wide area network (WAN), a local area network (LAN), a
personal area network (PAN), or the Internet.
As illustrated in FIG. 6, one or more storage devices 660(1)-(N)
may be directly attached to server 640. Similarly, one or more
storage devices 670(1)-(N) may be directly attached to server 645.
Storage devices 660(1)-(N) and storage devices 670(1)-(N) generally
represent any type or form of storage device or medium capable of
storing data and/or other computer-readable instructions. In
certain embodiments, storage devices 660(1)-(N) and storage devices
670(1)-(N) may represent network-attached storage (NAS) devices
configured to communicate with servers 640 and 645 using various
protocols, such as NFS, SMB, or CIFS.
Servers 640 and 645 may also be connected to a storage area network
(SAN) fabric 680. SAN fabric 680 generally represents any type or
form of computer network or architecture capable of facilitating
communication between a plurality of storage devices. SAN fabric
680 may facilitate communication between servers 640 and 645 and a
plurality of storage devices 690(1)-(N) and/or an intelligent
storage array 695. SAN fabric 680 may also facilitate, via network
650 and servers 640 and 645, communication between client systems
610, 620, and 630 and storage devices 690(1)-(N) and/or intelligent
storage array 695 in such a manner that devices 690(1)-(N) and
array 695 appear as locally attached devices to client systems 610,
620, and 630. As with storage devices 660(1)-(N) and storage
devices 670(1)-(N), storage devices 690(1)-(N) and intelligent
storage array 695 generally represent any type or form of storage
device or medium capable of storing data and/or other
computer-readable instructions.
In certain embodiments, and with reference to exemplary computing
system 510 of FIG. 5, a communication interface, such as
communication interface 522 in FIG. 5, may be used to provide
connectivity between each client system 610, 620, and 630 and
network 650. Client systems 610, 620, and 630 may be able to access
information on server 640 or 645 using, for example, a web browser
or other client software. Such software may allow client systems
610, 620, and 630 to access data hosted by server 640, server 645,
storage devices 660(1)-(N), storage devices 670(1)-(N), storage
devices 690(1)-(N), or intelligent storage array 695. Although FIG.
6 depicts the use of a network (such as the Internet) for
exchanging data, the embodiments described and/or illustrated
herein are not limited to the Internet or any particular
network-based environment.
In at least one embodiment, all or a portion of one or more of the
exemplary embodiments disclosed herein may be encoded as a computer
program and loaded onto and executed by server 640, server 645,
storage devices 660(1)-(N), storage devices 670(1)-(N), storage
devices 690(1)-(N), intelligent storage array 695, or any
combination thereof. All or a portion of one or more of the
exemplary embodiments disclosed herein may also be encoded as a
computer program, stored in server 640, run by server 645, and
distributed to client systems 610, 620, and 630 over network 650.
Accordingly, network architecture 600 may perform and/or be a means
for performing, either alone or in combination with other elements,
one or more of the detecting, accessing, determining, performing,
monitoring, applying, terminating, removing, quarantining, and
blocking steps disclosed herein. Network architecture 600 may also
be used to perform and/or be a means for performing other steps and
features set forth in the instant disclosure.
As detailed above, computing system 510 and/or one or more
components of network architecture 600 may perform and/or be a
means for performing, either alone or in combination with other
elements, one or more steps of an exemplary method for detecting
fraudulent software applications that generate misleading
notifications. In one example, such a method may comprise: 1)
detecting a notification generated by an application installed on
the computing device, 2) accessing criteria for determining, based
at least in part on characteristics of the notification, whether
the application is trustworthy, 3) determining, by applying the
criteria, that the application is untrustworthy, and then 4)
performing a security operation on the application.
In one example, detecting the notification generated by the
application may comprise detecting the notification and then
determining that the application is responsible for generating the
notification. In some examples, detecting the notification may
comprise: 1) detecting a notification displayed in a taskbar
notification area of an operating system running on the computing
device, 2) detecting a notification displayed on an active desktop
of the operating system, and/or 3) detecting a pop-up notification.
The method may also comprise, prior to detecting the notification,
monitoring the taskbar notification area and/or the active desktop
of the operating system.
Examples of criteria that may be used include, without limitation,
criteria for determining whether the notification contains words or
phrases that are commonly associated with misleading applications,
criteria for determining whether the notification contains a
hyperlink to an untrustworthy website, criteria for determining
whether the notification was generated within a predetermined
period of time after the application was installed on the computing
device, criteria for determining whether the application originated
from a potentially untrustworthy source, criteria for determining
whether the application was installed in a location on the
computing device that is commonly associated with misleading
applications, criteria for determining whether the application
contains at least one data pattern that is commonly associated with
misleading applications, criteria for determining whether a digital
certificate associated with the application has been signed by a
trusted certificate authority, or any other criteria that may be
used to determine whether an application that generates
notifications is untrustworthy. In some examples, applying the
criteria comprises applying the criteria to the notification and/or
the application.
In one example, performing the security operation on the
application may comprise terminating the application, removing the
application from the computing device, blocking the application
from generating network activity, and/or quarantining the
application.
While the foregoing disclosure sets forth various embodiments using
specific block diagrams, flowcharts, and examples, each block
diagram component, flowchart step, operation, and/or component
described and/or illustrated herein may be implemented,
individually and/or collectively, using a wide range of hardware,
software, or firmware (or any combination thereof) configurations.
In addition, any disclosure of components contained within other
components should be considered exemplary in nature since many
other architectures can be implemented to achieve the same
functionality.
The process parameters and sequence of steps described and/or
illustrated herein are given by way of example only and can be
varied as desired. For example, while the steps illustrated and/or
described herein may be shown or discussed in a particular order,
these steps do not necessarily need to be performed in the order
illustrated or discussed. The various exemplary methods described
and/or illustrated herein may also omit one or more of the steps
described or illustrated herein or include additional steps in
addition to those disclosed.
While various embodiments have been described and/or illustrated
herein in the context of fully functional computing systems, one or
more of these exemplary embodiments may be distributed as a program
product in a variety of forms, regardless of the particular type of
computer-readable media used to actually carry out the
distribution. The embodiments disclosed herein may also be
implemented using software modules that perform certain tasks.
These software modules may include script, batch, or other
executable files that may be stored on a computer-readable storage
medium or in a computing system. In some embodiments, these
software modules may configure a computing system to perform one or
more of the exemplary embodiments disclosed herein.
The preceding description has been provided to enable others
skilled in the art to best utilize various aspects of the exemplary
embodiments disclosed herein. This exemplary description is not
intended to be exhaustive or to be limited to any precise form
disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible without
departing from the spirit and scope of the instant disclosure. The
embodiments disclosed herein should be considered in all respects
illustrative and not restrictive. Reference should be made to the
appended claims and their equivalents in determining the scope of
the instant disclosure.
Unless otherwise noted, the terms "a" or "an," as used in the
specification and claims, are to be construed as meaning "at least
one of." In addition, for ease of use, the words "including" and
"having," as used in the specification and claims, are
interchangeable with and have the same meaning as the word
"comprising."
* * * * *
References